Ford Acquires California Startup Electriphi to Manage Charging for its Commercial Electric Vehicle Customers

author: Eric Walz   

Ford Motor Co is targeting commercial customers with two new fully electric vehicles, the E-Transit cargo van and F-150 Lightning Pro electric pickup. In order to help its commercial customers better manage their fleets of electric Ford vehicles, the automaker announced it acquired San Francisco-based company Electriphi, a developer of charging management and fleet monitoring software for EVs. 

Electriphi's EV charging management technology will be integrated into a new global business unit called Ford Pro, which will help Ford's commercial customers better manage the charging and other energy metrics of electric fleets. 

Ford believes that EV charging and recharging management remains a hurdle to mass adoption, especially in the commercial truck sector. Ford Pro will leverage its leadership position in the commercial vehicle market using Electriphi's technology to help customers with this transition.

Ford said the Electriphi team brings its expertise in EV charging infrastructure, commercial electric vehicles and enterprise software.

Electriphi developed and deployed a purpose-built electric vehicle fleet and charging management platform that simplifies fleet electrification and tracks key operational metrics, such as real-time status of vehicles, chargers, energy usage, planning tools and maintenance services of the fleet. 

Electriphi offerings include Smart Charging, which automatically determines when, how much, and how quickly to charge fleets of electric vehicles. Smart Charging looks at 20+ vehicle inputs, including temperature, utility rates and driver behavior to choose the most optimal charging strategies for fleet operators. The software uses machine learning to get smarter over time.

"Customers have been clear – electrification of their fleets is inevitable, with significant economic and sustainability benefits. They now need solutions that enable a seamless transition to electric vehicles," said Electriphi CEO and co-founder Muffi Ghadiali. "Our synergies with Ford Pro will supercharge this transition. We'll delight customers by helping them reap the benefits of electrification, so they can focus on what matters most – running their businesses effectively."

Electriphi's EV management platform helps fleet operators manage charging and energy usage with real-time data.

Ford Pro estimates that the depot charging industry will grow to over 600,000 full-size trucks and vans by 2030. The new business expects to generate over $1 billion of revenue from charging services by 2030.

"As commercial customers add electric vehicles to their fleets, they want depot charging options to make sure they're powered up and ready to go to work every day," said Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis. "With Electriphi's existing advanced technology IP in the Ford Pro electric vehicles and services portfolio, we will enhance the experience for commercial customers and be a single-source solution for fleet-depot charging."

The Electriphi acquisition is expected to close this month. Terms are not being disclosed. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as Ford's financial advisor in connection with this transaction.

Ford will start shipping the electric E-Transit to customers later this year, while the new F-150 Lightning Pro built for commercial customers will be available in spring 2022.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.